For many products, a carton is used to ship them from the point of manufacture to the destination at which they will be sold. This is especially true of many smaller consumer goods which are suitable for shipping in a relatively large quantity within a single carton. Typically, when the carton arrives at the sales destination, the products are removed from the carton and placed on a shelf for selection and purchase by a consumer.
As is known, there are a number of problems that are inherent in the shipping of products in this manner. First, there is the problem of in-store labor that is required to remove the product from the carton and place the products on a shelf. This is obviously a tedious and time-consuming process which must be repeated as the product is depleted from the store shelf. Second, the carton in which the product is shipped has no other function than transporting the products to the store. This means that there is considerable waste inherent in having to dispose of the carton while utilizing it for only a single function. Third, the placement of the products on a store shelf requires store personnel to print out and apply signage at the product display area. This adds to the overall cost of operation in a business that is notorious for slim profit margins. For all of these reasons, there has been a need for combining the shipment and display of products in a single carton.